The Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) says it has identified social distancing problems among learners – especially those commuting via scholar transport in the rural areas.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will brief the nation on Sunday afternoon on the sector’s readiness to welcome more learners at schools.
Grades R, 6 and 11 are due to return on Monday, after Grade 7 and 12 learners went back to class last month. There are numerous calls for the 2020 academic year to be suspended after COVID-19 cases surfaced in classrooms.
EUSA General Secretary Siphiwe Mpungose has called on the Department of Basic Education to elaborate on how it will ensure that learners adhere to strict safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“If we say learners must be in school without taking cases home in scholar transport, how will they arrive in school? They will be given PPEs and the social distancing during break time. After school, what will happen in the scholar transport, as well as those who are walking to school from home? From 8 June, we saw people walking, hugging each other to school and in the scholar transport, there was no social distancing on those buses. In townships they were loading kids the normal way,” says Mpungose.
The @DBE_SA will brief media and the public tomorrow @ElijahMhlanga @HubertMweli #BasicEducation#day100oflockdown pic.twitter.com/8Op5fgFEzF
— Dr Reginah Mhaule (@ReginahMhaule) July 4, 2020
In this video, Matakanye Matakanye discusses the return of more grades to school:
